The Source - October 3, 2016

Washington - red delicious are steady on the smaller sizes and steady to lower on 88's and larger. Most shippers continue to peak on extra-fancy 72-88s. Most suppliers still have only light availability of the Wash-Extra-fancy #2 and Washington fancy grades. Golden delicious supplies remain light and the market remains strong because of it. New-crop Granny-smith are steady but limited. The Gala market is steady to lower on larger fruit with good availability and steady to higher and firm on the smaller fruit. Galas are peaking on 80/88/100/72s so expect the smaller sizes to remain limited. Honey Crisp are steady to slightly lower on most sizes and grades but the fruit remains large and is still peaking on 48/56/64s. Fuji's are steady on the small fruit and steady to lower on The quality for red delicious, golden delicious, granny-smith, Galas, and Honey Crisp has been good.
California - Granny-Smith are steady on all sizes but the availability is down as the end of the season is near. The quality has been good.
Idaho---they are steady on Gala's and Jonathans and are peaking on Washington extra-fancy 88/100/113's for both.
Michigan--McIntosh, Golden delicious, Jonamacs, Jonathans, Galas, Cortlands, Empires, Honey Crisp, and red delicious are available now and all are steady to slightly lower. Most varietys are heavier to larger fruit although some have good availability of the smaller sizes. The quality has been good.
New York-- McIntosh, Cortlands, Empires, Jonamacs, Galas, Ginger Golds, and Honeycrisp are the main varieties now and the markets are steady. The sizing has been smaller than other areas with more 100/125/138 size fruit. The quality has been good.

Peruvian asparagus volume is steady, while the volume out of Mexico is up.

Mexican growers stopped harvesting the end of last week in disputes over pricing. They a looking for more money for their fruit. There is on going talks with the growers, but nothing has been resolved. The current shortages, will become that much shorter. Much of the fruit is still to immature to harvest. Supplies crossing into the US the last part of last week, did some as some growers where already holding back on harvesting. Expect supplies this week to get extremely short.

Alerts:
Mexican growers stopped harvesting the end of last week. Supplies are extremely short.

Green bells out of the California Central Valley are winding down in volume and will soon transition to Southern California. Supply is lightening and showing stronger pricing.

Red bells out of Fresno are now in better supply and are showing good overall quality and condition. These will also transition to southern California.

Yellow bells showing better availability with quality and condition still showing some trouble.

Demand remains fairly steady for CA fruit. Central Mexico production has picked up and is bringing more volume into the US which is helping with overall supply. Some reports of wet and leaky berries.

Supplies are still very limited although many grower-shippers are expecting more fruit into US ports by the end of this week. Some larger shipments should begin to arrive by Friday and Saturday which should help us start next week with more fruit in the pipelines. Quality has been good in all areas.

Alerts:
Demand is still exceeding supplies.

Transitions:
Limited volumes of Chilean fruit arrived into Miami this week.

Supplies remain somewhat limited and demand remains very good. Central Mexico production is picking up slowly and limited volumes of fruit are beginning to cross again this week. Quality has been good in all areas with only a few reports of wet, leaky berries.

Alerts:
Supplies are limited.

Demand remains fairly steady and overall availability remains steady as well. Growers have discarded a lot of fruit over the past week to clean up the plants after the extreme high temperatures this time last week. Weather has since cooled and we are experiencing much more moderate day time temperatures which is helping the fruit and plants recover. Sizing remains small.

Transitions:
Oxnard has begun production.

The broccoli market is steady at current price levels from all growing regions. Supplies remain stable with excellent quality from the Salinas and Santa Maria growing regions. Quality from Mexico has improved but they are still battling hallow core.

Brussel sprout supplies remain steady. The market varies from shipper to shipper based on their volumes. Quality is excellent with dark green color and a full size profile available.

The Bakersfield crop is in full production. Growth is good and producing good percentage of Jumbo size and supplies are good. Supply of baby peeled carrots are good.

Cauliflower supplies remain abundant and the market is steady at current price levels. There have been deals made for volume for less than the current market. Quality has been really good with nice white color and minimal bruising.

Steady supplies and steady pricing continues to be the story with this commodity. There is very good production out of northern and southern California. Production in Michigan continues as well. Good quality exists in all the growing regions. Flexing continues on twenty-four count packs with a few suppliers. Oxnard will begin production near the end of October.

Pablano - Good quality and condition expected to continue.

Tomatillo- Rainy weather has affected quality of Tomatillo most recently but current conditions are improving.

Jalapeno- good quality on new crop pepper, mostly large sizing with good color.

Anaheim- good quality,condition and size are expected to continue.

Cilantro supplies are steady as we start the week. The market is also steady but will vary depending on the loading location. Quality has improved with less arrival issues with yellow to black leaves.

The Ventura crop is our main supplier of domestic fruit, and their season is winding down and dropping quickly. Demand is strong and far exceeding what supplies are left. The Desert crop is starting some very light volume and will be increasing through the month, but will not reach volume until November. Chilean and Mexican fruit is available, but the lack of California fruit is putting heavy presser on these supplies also.

Alerts:
California lemons are extremely short.

The larger sizes 110ct through 175ct continue to remain more expensive than the 200ct and 250ct sizes. Demand is good on all sizes across the board. Limes are peaking on the 230ct. Quality is improving overall with less and less leaf shading (yellow color) showing up and fewer stylar end breakdown showing up from weather. Rain hit the growing region last week but no quality issues have been reported, just a temporary slowdown in production. New crop limes are being harvested and all sizes are coming in so quality is 100% better. The market is steady on all sizes.

Supplies are tight on small size Valencia oranges. 113s and 138s both grades have reached demand exceed situation and will be until Navels start at the end of October/first of November. Fruit is showing some weakness of quality, which is typical for this time of year after a long hot summer.

Fair quality and condition on cucumbers coming out of Northern Baja coast. Fresh crop from Northern Mexico crossing through Nogales is now available, Quality will be improved as we move forward.

Quality and condition on eggplant has remained good coming out of Fresno. Minimal cosmetic issues. Production will continue to be limited.

Last week the green grape market jumped up slightly, but we still have plenty of green grapes available and prices seemed to have leveled out today. The Thompson variety finished, leaving the Autumn Kings as the primary variety. The sizing of the Autumn Kings has been peaking in the XL to Jumbo range and quality has been excellent. This week, we can expect to remain steady on price and availability.

Things continue to remain steady on red seedless grapes. We have seen very stable market prices and excellent supplies. We have many options in terms of size and price that should work for any customer. This week will be very similar. Good supplies, steady markets with strong quality.

The supplies of green onions vary shipper to shipper. The market remains steady at current price levels. Although supplies of iceless green onions are limited as we start the week. Quality has improved with minimal yellowing to brown discoloration of the tops.

Kale supplies are steady but suppliers have firmed up their markets. Demand has increased causing suppliers to trend higher. Quality is excellent with minimal yellowing and dehydration.

Good supplies in the industry continue with this commodity. This market in steady. Huron is expected to begin by the third week in October and Yuma is expected to start in six weeks. Some current defects that have been reported include pinking and slight puffiness. Many suppliers are having these issues. Shorter days due to lack of sunlight will create shorter harvesting times. Weight on palletized have been averaging 41-44 pounds. Currently, supplies exceed demand.

Production is good to begin the week on all leaf items. Shippers are flexing, mainly on romaine. Overall. supplies exceed demand. There are quality issues worth noting on romaine and all leaf items. These issues include fringe and tip burn as well as some internal burn. Although temperatures have cooled down, the defects mentioned earlier are due to past high heats in the growing regions. The weights on romaine average 34-38 pounds. Red, green and butter leaf have had good weights as well reported.

Demand is steady right now. Supplies have lightened up since last week in the Westside growing area as growers are coming close to the end of their season. Weather has been a bit cooler over the last several days which has hampered optimal growth rates. The desert will be starting this week in a small way. The market is higher on all sizes.

Transitions:
The desert is starting this week and the Westside is coming closer to finishing.

Demand has increased over previous levels while supplies have lightened up. We can expect good supplies and quality to be the pattern for a while with a moderate range of up and down movement. The desert has started this week in a very light way. Mexico is getting closer to exporting honeydews up to us. The market is higher on all sizes.

Transitions:
The desert has started today in a very small way. The Westside is coming closer to its end and Mexico's dews are not ready for another few weeks.

The current availability is improving with better sizing and offering fresh Product from Northern Mexico crossing in Nogales Az. All sizes being offered in load volume both bins and cartons, peaking on larger fruit 36/45 with brix exceeding 10%.Volume will continue to improve

Washington - yellow, red, and white onions are steady to lower and they are still heavier to jumbos with only light volume of colossal and larger yellows. Some suppliers are still flexing for volume on jumbo yellow and jumbo red business. The quality is good.
Idaho/Oregon - yellows are steady to lower while reds and whites are steady. All colors continue to peak on jumbos. Some suppliers will flex for volume orders of jumbo, colossal, and super-colossal yellows. The quality has been good for all colors.

California - Bartlett pear supplies are very light but a one supplier is still going. The quality has been good. Crimson pear supplies are also light but a couple suppliers still have them. Bosc are steady and are peaking on smaller fruit but supplies are light. The quality has been good.
Washington - Bartlett pears are steady on all sizes and are peaking on 80/90/100s. D'anjou pears are also steady on all sizes and they continue to peak on 90/100/110s. Stark Crimson pears are steady and continue to peak on 40/45 half cartons. Bosc are steady to slightly lower and are still heavier to larger fruit in the Wenatchee valley and smaller fruit in the Yakima valley. The quality for all pears has been good.

Supplies are still light, but look to start to start improving as we move through October.

Washington - The market is steady on all sizes and they are still peaking on 70/80 count. The quality has been good.
Idaho - The norkotah market is mostly steady on all sizes although some suppliers are slightly higher due to this weeks rain. The norkotah sizing is still heavier to the larger counts in the south/central area and smaller or medium size counts in the northern/eastern areas. Number-twos remain limited as most shippers are still subbing number ones. A couple suppliers have started packing burbanks. The Norkotah quality has been good.
Wisconsin- the market is steady on counts and they have an even distribution of sizing now. The quality has been good.
Colorado - the market is also steady on all sizes. Most shippers are peaking on 70-count and smaller but the size distribution is evening out. The quality has been good.

Bakersfield California - all colors are steady and continue to peak on A-size. B size reds are more limited this week. The quality has been good.
Idaho - the market is steady to higher on reds and steady on golds. Both colors are peaking on A size with good quality.
North Dakota - they are packing more volume this week and the gold and red markets are steady although Red Bs remain fairly short. The quality has been good.
Wisconsin - reds and golds are steady on all sizes but B size reds remain limited. The quality is good.
Western Washington - the market for reds, golds, and whites are steady on all sizes and colors with good availability. The quality has been good.
Canada - they have a steady market and good availability for all colors but they can only pack bags, no cartons are available. The quality has been good.

Supply on Italian squash and Yellow S/N out of the Santa Maria have remained steady. New fields have started in the Santa Maria. Quality and condition have improved from fair to Good. Italian and Yellow S/N have now started in Nogales Arizona.

Domestic stone fruit availability is becoming more limited. Nectarines have ended for the season, leaving only peaches and plums. The last of the peach harvest is expected to finish in the next 2 weeks with limited availability on size. Red and black plums are expected to be in good supplies through the end of the month. Quality will be solid as we finish the season and prices will remain firm.

Quincy Florida is continuing production in a light way to help Eastern supply, however the region will not contribute much for another week to 10 days. With all the storms that have passed through the gulf up through the Eastern shore, tomatoes are showing a full range of quality from good to poor. Round and roma varieties are holding steady. Cherry tomatoes are limited and expected to firm up further next week. Grape tomato availability has been increasing however the lack of cherry tomatoes in the market has strengthened the demand for grape tomatoes again. Virginia’s Fall crop has shown reduced yields due to extensive rains over the past 6 weeks and may have a shorter season than planned. Demand remains strong and markets are not expected to soften until Central Florida begins producing in November.

The supply of round tomatoes has increased slightly from last week as California continues working through their seasonal decline. Extreme heat over parts of the valley is showing in the shelf life of tomatoes causing fruit to ripen very quickly. Roma tomatoes out of Mexico are increasing where there has been strong National demand holding crossings back in past weeks. As production increases so will the amount crossing the boarders into the US. Grape tomatoes out of Baja have slowed where hurricane Newton pored over growing regions, however new fields in eastern Mexico are in production and contributing to overall imports into the states. Prices may firm up further into the week as an overall shortage of Cherry tomatoes is realized in the next few days.